Series 4
Series 4 of Downton Abbey consisted of eight episodes and a Christmas Special with the opening and closing episodes again being feature length. Series four continued the story of the Crawley family and their servants in the early 1920s and premiered on the 22nd September, 2013 on ITV in the UK and on the 5th January, 2014 on PBS in the US.ITV Commissions a fourth series of Downton Abbey, itv,com, Friday, 23rd November 2012, 4:43PM.Downton Abbey Series 4 Press Pack, ITV Press Centre, 12th Sept, 2013.Breaking News: "Downton Abbey" Season 4 Will Begin on "Masterpiece" on PBS on Sunday, January 5, 2014, the Futon Critic, 14th May, 2013, 07:10 AM. The story is set nearly six months after the end of the 2012 Christmas Special, and covers February 1922 into the spring/summer of 1923.'Downton Abbey' Season 4: Does Thomas tell Lady Cora about the soap incident?, Andrea Reiher, Zap 2 it, 6th August, 2013.Downton Abbey Season 4 preview gets rave reviews, ITV.com/news, 14th August, 2013. Series four received a record audience in the UK, being the highest-rated drama on British television in 2013 with an average 11.8 million viewers.Two Characters Killed off and another raped, The Telegraph, 11th November, 2013. Production Filming began on 28th February, 2013 and the cast, as of 31st of May 2013, was halfway through filming.This article: Dailymail.co.uk, In the bleak midwinter: Downton Abbey begin filming season four with the cast at the graveside of Matthew Crawley By J J Anisiobi; PUBLISHED: 02:46 EST, 1 March 2013 | UPDATED: 06:03 EST, 1 March 2013, with pictures, mentions them filming on a "Thursday"; the article was published on March 1st, which was a Friday. Thus, filming began the previous day, as filming is stated to have "just begun". The Times Colonist interview with Michelle Dockery: 31st May, 2013: confirms that they are filming episodes 5 and 6 and are halfway through the series. The series premiered in the UK on ITV 1 in the autumn of 2013, and in the US on PBS on 5th January, 2014.ITV commissions a fourth series of Downton Abbey, ITV Press Center, 12th December, 2012. Julian Fellowes said that he wanted to slow down the pace of the drama, make it more subtle, and concentrate more on character development.Downton Abbey's own aristocratic baby George, Hello Magazine, 28th July, 2013.Heads Up: Downton Abbey Series 4, Holly Williams, The Independent, 3rd August, 2013. This series featured the show's first black actor with Gary Carr appearing as Jack Ross, a jazz musician and singer.‘Downton Abbey’ Adds Gary Carr As Jazz Singer For Season 4, Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 1st May 2013, 10:51 UK. Two actors who did not appear are Siobhan Finneran (Sarah O'Brien) and Amy Nuttall (Ethel Parks) both of whom are not returning to the show.Another Key ‘Downton Abbey’ Loss: Siobhan Finneran Leaving O’Brien Role, Nancy Tartaglione, 2nd March, 2013, 00:13 UK.To those of you who've asked, no I'm not in series 4 of Downton Abbey. Looking forward to watching it with the rest of you though!, Amy Nuttall, twitter.com/amynutts, 3rd March, 2013, 4:57 AM. Lily James appeared again, returning as Lady Rose MacClare who is now living with the Crawleys. Other actors who returned this series include Charles Edwards (Michael Gregson); Brendan Patricks (Evelyn Napier); MyAnna Buring (Edna Braithwaite), now a lady's maid; and Samantha Bond (Lady Rosamund Painswick).Exhausting day in rehearsal for @PassionPlayLond followed by tango rehearsal for @DowntonAbbey, twitter.com/SamanthaBond, 3rd April 2013, 9:57 PM. Dame Harriet Walter was on set on the 22nd of March as new character Lady Shackleton, Violet's old "school friend." She was filming scenes for one episode, all of her scenes being with Maggie Smith. Downton Abbey and Maggie Smith prove daunting for Harriet Walter Paul Giamatti guest stars as Cora's brother Harold Levinson, and appears in the Christmas Special alongside returning actress Shirley MacLaine as their mother, Martha Levinson.Shirley MacLaine to return to Downton Abbey in series four, Alice Vincent, Telegraph, 4th March 2013, 11:15AM GMT.Downton Abbey Exclusive: Paul Giamatti Joins Season 4 Cast as Cora's Brother, Michael Ausiello, TV Line, 24th June, 2013. Other actors new to the series are Andrew Alexander (Sir John Bullock); Joanna David (the Duchess of Yeovil); Nigel Harman (Gillingham's valet Green); James Fox; and Kiri Te Kanawa (Dame Nellie Melba).First black character appears in Downton Abbey, Gordon Smart, The Sun, 26th February, 2013.Shirley MacLaine Returning To ‘Downton Abbey’, 6 New Cast Members Join, The Deadline Team, Deadline, 2nd March, 2013, 7:45am PST.Kiri Te Kanawa reduced Downton cast to tears, Victoria Ward, The Telegraph, 13th August, 2013.Downton Abbey Series 4 Press Pack, page 3, ITV Press Centre, 12th Sept, 2013. Synopsis It is nearly six months after the death of Matthew Crawley and Mary is adjusting to her new life and attempting to move on without the man she loved and raise her son, George.Downton Abbey Christmas 2012, itv.com, Wednesday, 26th December 2012, 7:56PM."Downton Abbey" creator Julian Fellowes talks Season 4, CBS News, 18th February, 2013. She has two new suitors: Anthony, Lord Gillingham - who has known her since childhood but hasn't seen her since - and aristocrat Charles Blake. Downton Abbey: a guide to the new cast: By Michael Hogan: 2:22PM BST 26 Jun 2013 Tom Branson is taking on a larger role within the family, having become Robert's right-hand-man. Primetime Unreality TV interview with Gareth Neame. 17th June 2013 by Anna Howell. He also meets a new friend in schoolteacher, Sarah Bunting. Tom and Mary spend more time together and their friendship continues to develop as Mary begins to get involved in the running of the estate. There is some excitement in the nursery involving Nanny West. Edith's relationship with Michael Gregson flourishes. John and Anna Bates' relationship continues as strong as ever, but not without some ups and downs. Cora's new maid Baxter has a past with Thomas Barrow who has some sort of power over her.Downton Abbey Season 4 Spoiler: Is Miss O'Brien Going to Die?, Elisabeth Kramer, Wetpaint, 21st June, 2013. Episodes *Episode 4.01 *Episode 4.02 *Episode 4.03 *Episode 4.04 *Episode 4.05 *Episode 4.06 *Episode 4.07 *Episode 4.08 *Episode 4.09 - 2013 Christmas Special Media Images File:Downton-Abbey-s4-series-4-cast-promo.jpg|Series 4 cast promo from PBS Videos ;Trailers File:Downton Abbey Series 4 trailer, ITV ;Clips File:Downton Abbey Tease 10 YOUTUBE-0 File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Allen Leach Tom Branson Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Brendan Coyle John Bates Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Elizabeth McGovern Cora Crawley Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Hugh Bonneville Robert Crawley Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Jim Carter Mr. Carson Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 -Maggie Smith Violet Crawley Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Michelle Dockery Lady Mary Crawley Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Outstanding Drama Promo Trailer File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Paul Giamatti Harold Levinson Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Shirley Maclaine Martha Levinson Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Laura Carmichael Lady Edith Crawley Clip File:Downton Abbey Season 4 - Joanne Froggatt Anna Bates Clip References External links * . 4